With the kickoff to summer right around the corner, American consumers are gearing up to welcome the new season by finalizing their summer plans and seasonal bucket lists. To better understand shoppers’ planned activities and spending habits this summer, RetailMeNot conducted a survey of over 1,000 U.S. adults.
Our survey revealed that 50% of consumers utilize the spring to plan their activities and to-dos for the upcoming summer. Additionally, a whopping 95% of consumers stated that they intend to partake in various summer activities this year, including going to the beach or hosting summer gatherings. This suggests that the majority have already filled their calendars and are eagerly anticipating a bustling, activity-filled summer.
To dive deeper into consumers’ anticipated summer plans, we inquired about their upcoming activities. The top 10 activities consumers have in store for this summer include:
- Going to the beach: 39%
- Hosting or attending a cookout or picnic: 32%
- Organizing activities with family: 31%
- Swimming or visiting a water park: 29%
- Shopping at an outdoor mall or market: 29%
- Working on a home project: 28%
- Visiting a nature park or natural wonder: 28%
- Attending a craft, food, or other festival type: 27%
- Going to the zoo or aquarium: 26%
- Attending a concert or music festival: 25%
As they continue to finalize their upcoming summer plans, 43% of American consumers are also preparing to celebrate various life events including graduations, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries and more. On average, shoppers plan to allocate $1,515 for these life event-related purchases such as formalwear, travel expenses, home goods and other household necessities. The projected average spending for these major life events this summer is as follows:
- Graduation purchases: $1,170
- Wedding purchases: $2,280
- Baby shower purchases: $1,480
- Anniversary purchases: $1,470
- Moving out/moving in: $1,648
With a lot of summer spending expected for consumers on the horizon, RetailMeNot is excited to introduce its first Summer Checklist savings event, running June 6 to June 10, to help shoppers score stackable savings, deals and cashback offers from top retailers like Expedia, Wayfair, Nike, Viator, Home Depot, Lowe’s and more on all the things needed to accomplish their summer goals this year. Whether it’s gearing up for that summer beach trip, hosting a backyard BBQ with friends or finally tackling that long-awaited home project, RetailMeNot has you covered this summer.
Travel Plans Vs. Budget: A Balancing Act for Many
Most Americans are traveling this summer and intend to make Purchases Related to Their Travels. Nevertheless, Budget Concerns Continue to be a Significant Pain Point for These Consumers.
This year’s summer travel season is expected to be bustling, with American travelers planning to spend an average of $1,884 on travel purchases this season. More summer travel consumer insights from our survey include:
- 70% of consumers are planning to travel this summer.
- The majority of travelers are planning to stay in a hotel or motel (46%) for their summer travel. Meanwhile, 41% plan to stay with friends/family and 25% plan to stay at vacation rentals like Airbnb or VRBO (25%).
- This summer, the top reasons for travel are visiting friends or family (57%), going to the beach (48%), taking a road trip (35%), exploring a city (29%) and more.
- We asked consumers what they consider to be the most important aspect when it comes to traveling. Relaxing (83%) was the top priority, followed by spending time with friends or family (81%) and traveling affordably (78%).
While the trips themselves may be booked with the intent to relax, there is some stress in the planning and budgeting part. The biggest pain points for consumers surrounding summer travel budgeting include:
- Hotel and lodging costs: 29%
- Cost of airplane/airline tickets: 17%
- Food and beverage costs: 15%
- Cost of vacation experiences (tours, excursions, etc.): 11%
- Cost of trip necessities (vacation wear, supplies, luggage): 7%
- Car rentals and transportation: 7%
- Cost of boarding my pets or taking them on my trip: 6%
Staycations Provide Cost-Effective Alternatives to Peak-Season Travel
Staycationers plan to spend an average of $952 in their own cities this summer, which is less than the $1,884 that travelers plan to spend on their trips. What activities do they intend to engage in? The following activities exhibit an increase in staycationers’ plans compared to travelers’ plans for spring and summer: camping, park visits, theme park excursions and outdoor sports.
Survey Methodology
Q2 travel insights: Ziff Davis Shopping Q2 Seasonal Survey among Adults 18+. N=1,001. Fielded February 2024.
The post Summer 2024 Spending By the Numbers: Consumers Ready to Cross of Their Summer Checklists & Score Savings appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.